Hyena

Hyenas are basically animals that are biological relatives of cats rather than dogs. Humans really tend to form the wrong information about the hyena animal. While they are deemed as savages that tend to have demonic laughs, there are certain other details that we might not know about the hyena for sure. So, this is a pretty unfair characterization that the hyenas have.

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In the real sense, these animals are pretty smart and sociable as well. Not to mention that they have a very important role to play in the different ecosystems that they live in for sure. When it comes to predatory prowess, the hyenas are nothing less than lions. In this article, we are going to know a bit more about this particular animal.

Description of the Hyena Animal 

Hyena belongs to the family Hyaenidae and is also spelled as Hyaena. There are about 3 different species of hyena and they are furred with very coarsely and resemble the other doglike carnivores belonging to the same family. These animals mostly reside in parts of Africa and Asia.

The most important thing to notice about the hyena is the scavenging habits that it has. Another important detail about the hyena is that it has longer forelegs along with a very strong and powerful neck. The shoulders are also pretty strong that can be used for dismembering the prey as well as carrying it.

Hyenas are deemed as tireless trotters that have excellent vision and sight. Not to mention that the hearing, as well as the sense of smell, is pretty good too. The smelling sense in hyenas helps them to locate the prey in the best way for sure. That is one of the main reasons why the hyena is known to be a very proficient hunter. All of the hyenas tend to be nocturnal in nature.

The hyenas are pretty curious as well as intelligent. Not to mention that they are pretty opportunistic as well when it comes to the diet. We are going to learn more about hyena in the latter parts of the article. There are so many details that students need to know about the animal. They will be able to get the details from this article for sure.

Hyena - Characteristics and Habitat

Before getting into the appearance of the hyena, it is essential to know that they belong to the suborder known as Feliformia or Feloidea. This suborder includes certain meat-eating carnivores and mammals that have behavioral features resembling a cat. When it comes to certain types of hyenas, there are about 4 different species that we know about.

These animals are distributed along the regions of the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa. Hyenas are basically four-legged and they have very scraggly fur in their bodies. Apart from that, the ears of the hyena are pretty large. One of the most important things to keep in mind about the hyenas is that they tend to have both canine and feline features present. Not to mention that most of them also have manes. They tend to have sloping spines that face downward along with front legs that are strong and hind legs that are short.

Aardwolves and the striped hyena is one of the types of hyenas that tend to have coats that are lined. Hence they get the name from this characteristic. The spotted hyena has a lot of spots in the pelage, as the name would suggest. There are short claws present in the paws of the hyenas and they are non-retractable. However, the ribs present in the claws are pretty heavy as well.

When it comes to the males in the species of striped hyena, spotted hyena, and the aardwolf, they tend to be pretty large in size when compared to the females of the species. However, in the species of the spotted hyena, the females are the ones that tend to be bigger in size. Not to mention that the female counterparts of spotted hyenas tend to dominate all the males and they also have certain external genitalia as well.

What is the Behavioral Pattern in a Hyena? 

Just like the house cats that they have some physical resemblance to, hyenas are amongst those animals that are pretty avid groomers but they also mark their own territory. However, they tend to use the anal gland in order to mark the territory instead of urinating on it. The hyenas are a species that are nocturnal in nature. However, the spotted hyenas also tend to venture out into the forest during the time of the day.

This is especially the case when there aren’t any humans poking around. In the case of striped hyenas, these animals tend to live in pairs or completely alone. But then there are some populations that tend to have a pack with whom they travel mostly.

The spotted hyenas are pretty much an exception. The Indian hyena that is spotted seems to be pretty sociable as well. Hence, these animals tend to live in packs and communities that consist of more than 70 members in total.

The female of the species has a dominant behavior when it comes to the spotted hyenas. After the death of the pack leader, the position is taken by the eldest daughter of the leader. The burrowing habits of the hyenas result in them forming caves and certain under crevices as well. Certain types of striped hyenas are also responsible for digging the underground dens as well.

One of the distinct features of the hyenas is that they tend to vocalize very loudly and they do it frequently as well. But then not every single species of the hyena can laugh. In fact, when it comes to the extant species, only the spotted hyenas are the ones that are able to laugh. Hyenas also tend to use certain laughs, barks, as well as distinct grunts in order to communicate with the members of the clan. They often have communication sounds of migration and food.

Distribution of the Hyena Animal

The hyenas are evenly distributed along with the parts of the Middle East, Africa, and certain parts of Asia as well. The aardwolves tend to roam around the eastern and southern parts of Africa. However, there are some brown-skinned hyenas that tend to reside in the southern parts of Asia as well as Botswana and Nambia as well.

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Apart from that, there are some other species of hyenas that tend to have their main residence in parts of Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique. When we are talking about the spotted hyenas, they have a very distinct and yet eventful residence in southern Africa as well as western and central Africa as well. The numbers are pretty rare in the southern parts of Africa though. The striped hyenas tend to cover large portions of India as well as the Middle East and northern parts of Africa.

When it comes to the habitats of the aardwolves, these animals tend to choose the arid plains that are heavily grazed and bushlands as their main location. These places are filled with termites that form the main part of their diet. Aardwolves have a tendency to live in a cluster inside the dens that they build for about 6 weeks before moving on to somewhere else.

The brown variety of the wolves tends to reside in the coastal lands as well as the deserts. 

Apart from that, the spotted hyena is mostly found in savannas, woodlands, semi-desert areas as well as hilly forests. In the case of striped hyenas, dry woodlands along the mountain ways as well as certain dense grasslands and savannas prove to be a good spot for inhabitation.

Hyena Diet: What Do Hyenas Eat?

Most researchers have termed hyenas to be scavengers when it comes to looking for food. However, there are some predatory tendencies present in the hyenas as well because they do kill their prey sometimes. Not to mention that they are complete carnivores and hence have a digestive system that is pretty strong.

The diet of an aardwolf will contain no carrions as they hunt for their own meat. Hence, these animals only tend to feed on larva and insects that are pretty easy to find. In the case of a brown hyena, there are certain carcasses left by other predators. This is due to the fact that brown hyenas aren’t really that great when they have to hunt for their prey in order to feed.

They also tend to feed on eggs, fruit, insects, rodents, and fungi as well. When we are talking about the diet of a spotted hyena, there are certain things that they do that sets them apart from the other species.

First of all, these hyenas have a tendency to kill their prey and hence are termed as very aggressive when it comes to hunting. This is one of the species that tend to feed on plant-eating animals such as cattle, impalas, gazelles, wildebeests, and so much more. They even tend to harm humans when they feel the need to. The striped hyena on the other hand is a complete scavenger and will feed on carrions left off by other predators such as lions and vultures. They also include the bones as well as the bone marrow in their diet.

Reproduction Process in Hyenas

The aardwolves, spotted as well as brown hyenas tend to have multiple partners when it comes to copulation. This is not the case when it comes to striped hyenas as they are practically monogamous. They are willing to mate with just one partner for their entire lifespan.

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Mating in the case of spotted hyenas can be a bit awkward because both females, as well as the male hyena, have external genitalia. The males position themselves in a proper manner so that they can complete the process of copulation with females.

The hyena babies are known as cubs. In the case of brown, aardwolves, as well as striped hyenas, the babies have their eyes closed after birth. Hence, they need some help from their parents. However, in the case of spotted hyenas, the young are born with all the developments such as eyes and teeth that are fully functional. The average lifespan of a hyena tends to be about 12 years. But then there are some hyenas that have lived up to 25 years.